Methods and apparatus for providing user feedback during image capture

ABSTRACT

A data capture device is described. The data capture device includes an imager simultaneously capturing a barcode and an image associated with the barcode. A memory is coupled to the imager for storing the barcode and the image. A processor is coupled to the memory for decoding the barcode and processing the image. A notification system notifies a user that the image is being processed prior to the processor completing the processing of the image.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to imager-based barcode scanning andproviding user feedback during image capture.

BACKGROUND

Mobile computers having imager-based barcode capture devices arebecoming widespread. When capturing an image, some of these image-baseddevices use a decoded barcode as a ruler and capture an area of interestfrom an image that includes the barcode. The area of interest is thenprocessed to remove capture artifacts. The processed image is thengenerally displayed to the user on the display of the mobile computer.The time required to process the area of interest can be significant andcan cause the user to assume that the system is not functioningproperly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements inthe figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to helpimprove understanding of various embodiments. In addition, thedescription and drawings do not necessarily require the orderillustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/orsteps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrencewhile those skilled in the art will understand that such specificitywith respect to sequence is not actually required. Apparatus and methodcomponents have been represented where appropriate by conventionalsymbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that arepertinent to understanding the various embodiments so as not to obscurethe disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.Thus, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity ofillustration, common and well-understood elements that are useful ornecessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted inorder to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.

The above and further advantages of this invention may be betterunderstood by referring to the following description in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate likestructural elements and features in various figures. Skilled artisanswill appreciate that reference designators shown herein in parenthesisindicate components shown in a figure other than the one in discussion.For example, talking about a device (10) while discussing Figure A wouldrefer to an element, 10, shown in figure other than Figure A.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile computing device according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the electronic components of themobile computing device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an example of a document for use with the data capture deviceof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a scanner according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for capturing an imageaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the invention is embodied in a data capture device havingan imager for simultaneously capturing a barcode and an image associatedwith the barcode. The data capture device also includes a memory coupledto the imager for storing the barcode and the image. A processor iscoupled to the memory. The processor decodes the barcode and processesthe image. A notification system notifies a user that the image is beingprocessed prior to the processor completing the processing of the image.

The processing can include removing image skew, improving imagecontrast, and/or balancing illumination across the image. In someembodiments, the notification system can include a display, a lightemitting diode (LED), and/or a loudspeaker. The data capture device canbe integrated with a mobile computing device.

In one embodiment, the notification system includes a display thatdisplays the image in low resolution prior to the processor completingthe processing of the image. In one embodiment, a period of time betweencapturing the image and processing the image is greater than fiftymilliseconds. The processor can decode the barcode and can process theimage substantially sequentially. The barcode includes positioninformation about the image.

In another aspect, the invention is embodied in a method for notifying auser that an image is being processed. The method includes capturing abarcode and an image associated with the barcode. The barcode and theimage are then stored. The barcode is then decoded. The imagecorresponding to the barcode is then processed. A user is then notifiedthat the image is being processed prior to completing the processing ofthe image.

In some embodiments, the processing can include removing image skew,improving image contrast, and/or balancing illumination across theimage. The user can be notified using a display, a light emitting diode(LED), and/or a loudspeaker. The image can be captured with an imager.In one embodiment, the user is notified via a display that displays theimage in low resolution prior to completing the processing of the image.The image can be displayed in low resolution prior to completing theprocessing of the image.

In one embodiment, an audible signal can be provided to the user priorto completing the processing of the image. In one embodiment, the periodof time between capturing the image and processing the image is greaterthan fifty milliseconds. In one embodiment, the barcode is decoded andthe image is processed substantially sequentially. The barcode caninclude position information about the image.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely illustrative in nature andis not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses ofthe invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by anyexpress or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field,background, brief summary or the following detailed description. For thepurposes of conciseness, many conventional techniques and principlesrelated to conventional image-based capture, need not, and are not,described in detail herein.

Techniques and technologies may be described herein in terms offunctional and/or logical block components and various processing steps.It should be appreciated that such block components may be realized byany number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configuredto perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of asystem or a component may employ various integrated circuit components,e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logicelements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety offunctions under the control of one or more microprocessors or othercontrol devices.

The following description may refer to elements or nodes or featuresbeing “connected” or “coupled” together. As used herein, unlessexpressly stated otherwise, “connected” means that oneelement/node/feature is directly joined to (or directly communicateswith) another element/node/feature, and not necessarily mechanically.Likewise, unless expressly stated otherwise, “coupled” means that oneelement/node/feature is directly or indirectly joined to (or directly orindirectly communicates with) another element/node/feature, and notnecessarily mechanically. The term “exemplary” is used in the sense of“example, instance, or illustration” rather than “model,” or “deservingimitation.”

Technologies and concepts discussed herein relate to systems utilizingimagers. In an exemplary embodiment, an imager is integrated into a datacapture device, such as a scanner or a mobile computer. The imagerincluded with the data capture device captures a barcode and an imagethat corresponds to the barcode. A notification system is described thatprovides feedback to the user when the image is being processed.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile computing device 100 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The mobile computing device 100 is oneexample of a data capture device having an imager according to theinvention. The mobile computing device 100 includes a housing 102. Thehousing 102 contains electronic components, including internalcommunication components and circuitry as further described withrelation to FIG. 2 to enable the device 100 to communicate wirelesslywith other devices. The housing 102 also contains I/O devices such as akeyboard 104 with alpha-numeric keys 106, a display 108 (e.g., LED,OELD) that displays information about the device 100, soft and/or hardkeys, touch screen, jog wheel, a microphone 110, and a speaker 112. Themobile computing device 100 can also include an imager-based datacapture device 114, or imager, such as a charged coupled device (CCD) orcomplementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor array, forcapturing an image located in a field of view of the imager-based datacapture device 114. In some embodiments, the device 100 includes more orless than all of the I/O devices shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 illustrating the electronic components ofthe mobile computing device 100 (FIG. 1) according to the invention. Themobile computing device 100 contains, among other components, aprocessor 202, a transceiver 204 including transmitter circuitry 206 andreceiver circuitry 208, an antenna 222, the I/O devices 212 described inrelation to FIG. 1, a program memory 214 for storing operatinginstructions that are executed by the processor 202, a buffer memory216, one or more communication interfaces 218, a data capture device226, and an optional removable storage 220. The mobile computing device100 is preferably an integrated unit containing the elements depicted inFIG. 2, as well as any other element necessary for the mobile computingdevice 100 to function. In one embodiment, the electronic components areconnected by a bus 224.

The processor 202 can include one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, DSPs, state machines, logic circuitry, or any otherdevice or devices that process information based on operational orprogramming instructions. Such operational or programming instructionsare preferably stored in the program memory 214. The program memory 214can be an IC memory chip containing any form of random access memory(RAM) or read only memory (ROM), a floppy disk, a compact disk (CD) ROM,a hard disk drive, a digital video disk (DVD), a flash memory card orany other medium for storing digital information. Skilled artisans willrecognize that when the processor 202 has one or more of its functionsperformed by a state machine or logic circuitry, the program memory 214containing the corresponding operational instructions may be embeddedwithin the state machine or logic circuitry. Operations performed by theprocessor 202 as well as the mobile computing device 100 are describedin detail below.

The transmitter circuitry 206 and the receiver circuitry 208 enable themobile computing device 100 to respectively transmit and receivecommunication signals. In this regard, the transmitter circuitry 206 andthe receiver circuitry 208 include circuitry to enable wirelesstransmissions. The implementations of the transmitter circuitry 206 andthe receiver circuitry 208 depend on the implementation of the mobilecomputing device 100 and the devices with which it is to communicate.For example, the transmitter and receiver circuitry 206, 208 can beimplemented as part of the communication device hardware and softwarearchitecture in accordance with known techniques. One of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that most, if not all, of the functions of thetransmitter or receiver circuitry 206, 208 can be implemented in aprocessor, such as the processor 202. However, the processor 202, thetransmitter circuitry 206, and the receiver circuitry 208 have beenpartitioned herein to facilitate a better understanding of the functionsof these elements. In one embodiment, the antenna 222 is a local areanetwork (LAN) antenna coupled to the transceiver 204.

The buffer memory 216 may be any form of volatile memory, such as RAM,and is used for temporarily storing information received from the datacapture device 226, for example. The removable memory 220 can be asecure digital (SD) memory card, for example.

The imager 226 is controlled by the processor 202. The processor 202issues capture commands to the imager 225 via the program memory 214. Inone embodiment, the program memory 214 is implemented within a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), however the program memory 214 may alsobe implemented in other devices. The imager 225 captures images and theprogram memory 214 stores the images in a memory module. The memorymodule stores the image data prior to the processor 202 processing theimage or displaying the image on a display 108 (FIG. 1), such as liquidcrystal display (LCD).

A typical imager captures thirty frames per second or one frame everythirty-three milliseconds. This is commonly referred to as the imagecapture cycle (i.e. the time required for the imager to expose the imageand transmit the data to memory). Thus, the image capture cycle isthirty-three milliseconds, meaning that once every thirty-threemilliseconds the imager exposes a new frame and sends the image tomemory.

In operation, the imager 226 captures an image by exposing the image anddirecting the image to the program memory 214. This process begins whenthe processor 202 issues a command instructing the imager 226 to capturean image. Once the image including the associated barcode is captured,the image undergoes time consuming processing prior to displaying theimage to the user. The processing can include finding and decoding thebarcode, using the barcode's parameters (its four corners' locationswithin the image, for example), and other predefined parametersassociated with the specification of the capture area, determining thefour corners of the image capture area (generally not forming arectangle in the image, due to perspective distortion), enhancing theimage and reformatting the image. Enhancing the image can includeadjusting the contrast of the image, adjusting the skew of the image,adjusting the illumination, or sharpening the image. In one embodiment,the enhancements can be achieved by implementing a filtering scheme.Also, reformatting can include adjusting the size of the image orcompressing the pixel density. In some embodiments, the time forprocessing can exceed fifty milliseconds. After the processing iscompleted, the image is displayed and/or transmitted to a host computer.

FIG. 3 is an example of a document 300 for use with the data capturedevice of the present invention. For example, the document 300 caninclude a data form 302 suitable for capturing. The user captures animage 304 of a document 300, for example, using the mobile computingdevice 100 (FIG. 1). The document 300 includes an image 305 of the dataform 302 and an associated barcode 306.

The barcode 306 is generally used to provide position and dimensionalinformation about the image 305 associated with the barcode 306. Thebarcode 306 is captured and decoded to generate the position anddimensional information about the image 305. In one embodiment, theboundaries 308 of the barcode 306 are used as a reference to determinethe position and coordinates of the image 305. For example, predefinedparameters (specified by the user prior to the decoding session) canindicate that the image 305 has lower boundary 312 that is 5 times theheight of the barcode 306 below the bottom 314 of the barcode 306, andsimilarly specified but different values for the upper boundary 316 ofthe image 305, etc.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a scanner 400 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The scanner 400 can include an imagingengine 402, a trigger board 404, and a control and a logic circuit (CLC)board 406 having at least one processor 408. In one embodiment, thetrigger board 404 is located in a handle portion 410 of the scanner 400.The trigger board 404 is electrically associated or connected with thetrigger switch 412 of the scanner 400 in order to initiate aimage/barcode decode procedure upon a user pressing the trigger switch412. The CLC board 405, or portions thereof, may alternatively beprovided externally from the scanner 400, such as in a host terminal(not shown).

The scanner can also include an illumination system (not shown) having aplurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) (not shown). The imagingengine 402 can be encased within a housing 414 of the scanner 400. Theimaging engine 402 can include a lens assembly and a sensor array, suchas a charged coupled device (CCD) or complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor array, for capturing an imagelocated in a field of view of the imaging engine 402 upon activation ofthe trigger switch 412 and the illumination system. The sensor array canbe a two-dimensional sensor array as used in two-dimensional imagingsystems.

The scanner 400 can further includes an aiming system (not shown) havinga plurality of LEDs (or a laser beam system) for projecting an aimingpattern onto the field of view for aiding in properly positioning theimage in the field of view of the scanner 400.

The processor 408 executes algorithms corresponding to various barcodesymbologies. For example, the processor 408 utilizes one of thealgorithms for decoding the barcode associated with the image as knownin the art. The processor 408 further executes a set of programmableinstructions for turning on the LEDs of the illumination system uponactivation of the trigger switch 412 and for blinking at least one LEDor all the LEDs of the illumination and/or aiming system by turning themoff and on one time or several times whenever the processor 408successfully decodes the barcode and captures the image. The processor408 can further turn on and off one time or several times the laser beamsystem projecting a laser beam of the aiming system whenever theprocessor 408 successfully decodes the barcode. In one embodiment, theact of blinking at least one LED or all the LEDs of the illuminationand/or aiming system or the projected laser beam one time or severaltimes provides a visual indication to a user of a successful decode.

A flexible electrical cable 416 is provided to connect the scanner 400to a host terminal (not shown). In alternative embodiments, the cable416 may also provide electrical power to the imaging engine 402. In afurther alternative embodiment, the cable 416 can be partially or fullyreplaced by a wireless communication technology such as radio frequency,optical or cellular communication technologies.

The host terminal (not shown) includes at least one data processor,where the data processor can be connected to one or more peripherals orcomputing devices, such as a video monitor, and/or a network. Processedimage data can be transmitted to the host terminal over the electricalcable 416. The transmission of video data may be triggered by pressingthe trigger switch 412 or by actuating another switch on the scanner400. The image data can be transmitted to a serial communication port ofthe host terminal such as the serial communication port of a personalcomputer (PC) when such a device is used as the host terminal. In oneembodiment, the image data may be at least partially processed by a dataprocessor within the personal computer and selectively displayed on adisplay.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart 500 of a method for capturing an imageaccording to one embodiment of the invention. The method includescapturing a barcode and an image associated with the barcode (step 502).As previously described, the barcode and image are captured using a datacapture device.

In step 504, the barcode and the image are stored in a memory. Thebarcode is decoded in step 506. The decoded barcode provides positioninformation, as well as dimensional information about the image. Asoftware program executing on the processor receives the position anddimensional information about the image and determines size and locationof the image capture region (step 508).

In step 510, if the program determines that the data capture device didnot capture the entire image capture region, the program instructs theprocessor to recapture the barcode and image (step 502). If the programdetermines that the data capture device did capture the entire imagecapture region, such as by determining that the four corners of thecapture region are all within the captured image, the program instructsthe processor to generate user feedback (step 512) to notify the userthat the image is being processed. The user feedback is generated priorto the processor completing any processing of the image (step 514). Theimage can be transmitted to a host terminal (step 516) when theprocessing of the image is competed.

The processing of the image can include removing image skew, improvingimage contrast and balance illumination across the image. In oneembodiment, the user feedback can include a visual or audiblenotification to the user that the image is being processed. For example,the user can be notified through a display, a light emitting diode(LED), through a loudspeaker, or a combination of these elements. In oneembodiment, the user can be notified that the image is being processedby displaying the image in low-resolution prior to completing theprocessing of the image. In another example, the user can be notifiedthat the image is being processed through an audible signal.

In general, the processor includes processing logic configured to carryout the functions, techniques, and processing tasks associated with theoperation of the data capture device. Furthermore, the steps of a methodor algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a softwaremodule executed by the processor, or any combination thereof. Any suchsoftware may be implemented as low level instructions (assembly code,machine code, etc.) or as higher-level interpreted or compiled softwarecode (e.g., C, C++, Objective-C, Java, Python, etc.).

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of present teachings. The benefits,advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause anybenefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced arenot to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features orelements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely bythe appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency ofthis application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

Moreover in this document, relational terms such as first and second,top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish oneentity or action from another entity or action without necessarilyrequiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between suchentities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has”,“having,” “includes”, “including,” “contains”, “containing” or any othervariation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, suchthat a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has,includes, contains a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by“comprises . . . a”, “has . . . a”, “includes . . . a”, “contains . . .a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence ofadditional identical elements in the process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms“a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly statedotherwise herein. The terms “substantially”, “essentially”,“approximately”, “about” or any other version thereof, are defined asbeing close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and inone non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, inanother embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and inanother embodiment within 0.5%. A device or structure that is“configured” in a certain way is configured in at least that way, butmay also be configured in ways that are not listed.

It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one ormore generic or specialized processors (or “processing devices”) such asmicroprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors andfield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique stored programinstructions (including both software and firmware) that control the oneor more processors to implement, in conjunction with certainnon-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of themethod and apparatus for the near-field wireless device pairingdescribed herein. The non-processor circuits may include, but are notlimited to, a radio receiver, a radio transmitter, signal drivers, clockcircuits, power source circuits, and user input devices. As such, thesefunctions may be interpreted as steps of a method to perform thenear-field wireless device pairing described herein. Alternatively, someor all functions could be implemented by a state machine that has nostored program instructions, or in one or more application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinationsof certain of the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course,a combination of the two approaches could be used. Both the statemachine and ASIC are considered herein as a “processing device” forpurposes of the foregoing discussion and claim language.

Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readablestorage element or medium having computer readable code stored thereonfor programming a computer (e.g., comprising a processing device) toperform a method as described and claimed herein. Examples of suchcomputer-readable storage elements include, but are not limited to, ahard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read OnlyMemory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flashmemory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill,notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choicesmotivated by, for example, available time, current technology, andeconomic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims arehereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

While at least one example embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vastnumber of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that theexample embodiment or embodiments described herein are not intended tolimit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subjectmatter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description willprovide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map forimplementing the described embodiment or embodiments. It should beunderstood that various changes can be made in the function andarrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by theclaims, which includes known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents atthe time of filing this patent application.

In addition, the section headings included herein are intended tofacilitate a review but are not intended to limit the scope of thepresent invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to beregarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended to limit thescope of the appended claims.

In interpreting the appended claims, it should be understood that:

a) the word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elementsor acts than those listed in a given claim;

b) the word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude thepresence of a plurality of such elements;

c) any reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope;

d) several “means” may be represented by the same item or hardware orsoftware implemented structure or function;

e) any of the disclosed elements may be comprised of hardware portions,(e.g., including discrete and integrated electronic circuitry), softwareportions (e.g., computer programming), and any combination thereof;

f) hardware portions may be comprised of one or both of analog anddigital portions;

g) any of the disclosed devices or portions thereof may be combinedtogether or separated into further portions unless specifically statedotherwise; and

h) no specific sequence of acts or steps is intended to be requiredunless specifically indicated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data capture device comprising: an imagercapturing an image; a memory coupled to the imager for storing thecaptured image; a processor coupled to the memory for processing thecaptured image; a notification system notifying a user that the capturedimage is being processed by displaying the captured image at a lowresolution prior to the processor completing the processing of thecaptured image; and a display notifying the user that the captured imageis processed by displaying the processed image on the display at aresolution higher than the low resolution.
 2. The data capture device ofclaim 1 wherein the processing includes at least one of removing imageskew, improving image contrast, and balancing illumination across thecaptured image.
 3. The data capture device of claim 1 wherein thenotification system comprises the display and at least one of a lightemitting diode (LED) and a loudspeaker.
 4. The data capture device ofclaim 1 wherein the data capture device comprises a mobile computingdevice.
 5. The data capture device of claim 1 wherein a period of timebetween capturing the image and processing the captured image is greaterthan fifty milliseconds.
 6. The data capture device of claim 1 whereinthe processing the captured image comprises determining positioninformation about the image.
 7. A method comprising: capturing an image;storing the captured image; processing the captured image; notifying auser that the captured image is being processed by displaying thecaptured image at a low resolution prior to completing the processing ofthe captured image; and notifying the user that the captured image isprocessed by displaying the processed image on a display at a resolutionhigher than the low resolution.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein theprocessing includes at least one of removing image skew, improving imagecontrast, and balancing illumination across the captured image.
 9. Themethod of claim 7 wherein the user is notified via the display and atleast one of a light emitting diode (LED), and a loudspeaker.
 10. Themethod of claim 7 wherein the captured image is captured with an imager.11. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing an audible signalprior to the completing the processing of the captured image.
 12. Themethod of claim 7 wherein a period of time between capturing the imageand processing the captured image is greater than fifty milliseconds.13. The method of claim 7 wherein the processing the captured imagecomprising determining position information about the image.
 14. A datacapture device comprising: means for capturing an image; means forstoring the captured image; means for processing the captured image;means for notifying a user that the captured image is being processed bydisplaying the captured image at a low resolution prior to completingthe processing of the captured image; and means for notifying the userthat the captured image is processed by displaying the processed imageon a display at a resolution higher than the low resolution.
 15. Thedata capture device of claim 14 wherein the means for notifying a usercomprises the display and at least one of a light emitting diode (LED),and a loudspeaker.